The Cabal
by Malcho1234
Summary: It had been a thousand years since Equestria's Protector was laid to rest. But now it is time for him to awaken, for the country he swore to protect is once more threatened... May the Gods have mercy on his enemies, for he will have none. A LoHAH story, crossing Cabal Online and MLP.
1. Canterlot under Siege

div id="chapter_container" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-family: serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 31.68000030517578px; text-align: justify;"center style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;"strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;"Canterlot, present day./strong/center  
p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;" /p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"To say that the city was in a state of chaos would be an understatement… Ponies ran panicked in the streets, fleeing to their homes, fleeing from their homes or trying to escape the city altogether. And that was just the civilians… The Solar and Lunar Guard were split up between trying to make some sort of order from the chaos, and trying to contain the reason behind it. And the reason? An army of pony-like bugs… The Changelings. Less than an hour ago the shield that had kept them away failed and the black swarm poured onto the streets, overtaking the outer defenses without much trouble./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"While the streets were bad, the castle had it worse… The guards there were almost completely wiped out, either dead or cocooned. Only a few small pockets of resistance remained, and they were quickly being eliminated one by one…/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"Back on the streets, six mares were racing ahead of the horde. Their destination was the Canterlot Tower, where the Elements of Harmony were kept. This was the city's only hope… But they were out of luck, as a group of Changelings ambushed them. The girls grouped together, using hooves and magic (and Pinkie's Party Cannon) to fend off the bugs. Ironically, they fared better than the Guards, but then again, Chrysalis wanted them alive. Otherwise… Otherwise the six friends would've been smears on the pavement by now./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"Still, even if they were not to be harmed the Changelings' superior numbers were taking their toll on them. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were dogpiled several times already, only the quick intervention of their friends saving them. The six were strong, but they were all reaching their limits…/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"All seemed lost when Twilight tried to blast a Changeling that was about to tackle Applejack, only for her horn to give out a few pathetic-looking sparks… Seeing that the bugs grinned, their sharp fangs gleaming in the sunlight. WIth a slow, menacing gait they advanced on the panting group, ready to capture them for their Queen.../p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"Unfortunately they didn't notice the Cavalry arriving, in the form of Princess Luna, clad in a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; color: rgb(80, 126, 44); cursor: pointer;" href=" fs71/PRE/f/2013/048/b/3/luna_in_armor_no_weapons_by_ " rel="nofollow"silver armor./aThe Night Alicorn clashed into a cluster of Changelings, flattening a couple of unfortunate ones under her hooves and scattering the rest./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""Twilight Sparkle!" Luna called out, bucking a Changeling in the face. "We have an urgent task for thee!" She shouted, slipping in her old speech patterns without noticing. Around her dozens of Night Guards dropped from the skies, trying to give their ruler and the six mares some breathing room./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""We know, Princess Luna. We need to get to Canterlot Tower and gather the Elements." The panting mare replied as she used the lull in battle to recover her magic somewhat./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""That is my sister's task. We have another one for thee. Thou must enter the Tower and shout out these words:" Luna leaned over the Element of Magic and whispered something in her ear. "Thou must use these exact words."/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""But why, Princess?" Twilight asked, glancing towards a battered Applejack who was helped by a pair of Night Guards. "What will that accomplish?"/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""It will help us in case the Elements fail." Luna's statement made Twilight gasp. The Elements of Harmony failing? It was something that the young mare couldn't even begin to imagine, yet alone think of as reality…/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""What? But Princess, the Elements…"/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""The Elements of Harmony are a weapon. And like any weapon they have their faults!" Luna interrupted her, irritation clear in her voice. Any further confrontation between the two were interrupted as a Changeling spell whizzed past the Alicorn's head. "Our time is running out! We shalt clear thee a path through these vile bugs! Prepare thyself and thy friends, Twilight Sparkle. Thou shalt need to gallop faster than ever before!" The unicorn gulped and moved to tell her friends the plan as Luna faced the changelings. She could see the mangled corpses of her guards and the bugs being trampled under the combatants' hooves as the ponies fought bravely./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"WIth a roar Luna charged into the fray, her horn blazing as she cast battle spells that haven't been seen in centuries. Her armor was stained with green ichor as her hooves kicked left and right, smashing the black chitin of the Changelings with ease./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"With Luna rejoining the battle the pressure on the Guards lessened. It didn't take long for a hole in the Changelings' ranks to be opened./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""Go!" Luna shouted at the girls. The six friends didn't need to be told twice as they rushed through the gap. Several changelings tried to follow them, only to be taken out by long-range spell fire./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""Go girls… Go, and bring him back…" Luna whispered, watching the six mares disappear behind a building before she resumed fighting. Most of the guards she had taken were dead or incapacitated, and the Changelings were now swarming her. It was only a matter of time until she was overwhelmed, but she would be damned if she wasn't going to take as many of them with her…/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;" /p  
hr style="margin: 12px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border: 0px; background-color: rgb(221, 221, 221);" /  
p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;" /p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"The six girls arrived at the gates to the Tower. Scores of Changelings were following them, almost literally nipping at their heels. With a grunt Twilight and Applejack pushed the doors open and raced inside. Thankfully, there no Changelings inside, or at least none they could see./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""Hurry girls, we need to get to the Elements!" Twilight shouted as she used her magic to close the doors, buying them a few precious seconds. The six mares ran into the tower's spacious first floor, heading to the stairwell that would lead them to the vault./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"And that was when the trap was sprung… Dozens of Changelings descended from the alcoves, having used their abilities to hide in plain sight. The girls were surrounded by a circle of black chitin and sharp fangs, with no exit in sight./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"Twilight could see the moment her friends realized that they weren't getting out of this fight… They were too exhausted to fight. There was only one thing they could do - surrender and hope that Chrysalis would make a mistake and allow them to fight back./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"But Twilight still had one more thing to do. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she intoned the verse that Luna whispered to her:/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;" /p  
center style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;"  
blockquote style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 10px; box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; border-top-left-radius: 5px; border-top-right-radius: 5px; border-bottom-right-radius: 5px; border-bottom-left-radius: 5px; background: rgb(245, 245, 245);"  
p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;" /p  
p class="indented" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""Will balance be captured in the real world and tranquility be restored?/p  
p class="indented" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"Will I be fighting according to some floating illusion?/p  
p class="indented" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"Will I be asking my current life's path to assume a pursuit of the truth?/p  
p class="indented" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"Will I be travelling inner signs, or the opposite side of the mirror?"/p  
p class="indented" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;" /p  
/blockquote  
/center  
p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;" /p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"Everyone paused. The Changelings and the mares looked around, expecting for something to happen. A minute passed in silence… with nothing happening. The Changelings relaxed, snickering at the mares as Twilight slumped to the ground. This was their last hope… And it was just crushed. All the six friends could do was follow the Changelings as they were led out of the Tower./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"Nobody noticed the faint silver outline of a sigil reminiscent of the a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; color: rgb(80, 126, 44); cursor: pointer;" href=" _ " rel="nofollow"letter C in a circle/a slowly being inscribed in the tiles.../p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;" /p  
hr style="margin: 12px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border: 0px; background-color: rgb(221, 221, 221);" /  
p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;" /p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"Princess Celestia, Diarch of the Sun slowly opened her magenta eyes and looked around. The world looked strange… Tinted green and… Was it upside-down? Yes, it was, but why? What happened?/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"A fanged black face appeared in her vision, bringing with it the memories of the wedding… Of how she was just about to marry her niece to her personal student's brother, when Twilight and a disheveled Cadence stormed in… Of how the youngest Alicorn had turned into a Changeling Queen, a creature she hadn't seen in centuries. She was quickly overpowered by the Queen Chrysalis before she fainted. And now she was cocooned./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"A tear dropped down from her eye. She had failed… She had failed her subjects, her beloved little ponies… With her down only her sister remained to try and fight against the Changelings alongside the Elements of Harmony./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;""Sister?"/em Celestia's eyes shot wide open as the telepathic message reached her mind. She could hear the Changeling Queen and her niece speak somewhere below her, but she tuned them out in order to concentrate on her sister./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;""Luna! Thank goodness… You need to help Twilight and the Elements! They need to get to the Tower and…"/em/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;""I already did what I could, sister."/em Celestia blinked. Why was Luna talking in past tense like that? As if sensing her question her sister's voice echoed again: em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;""Look to your right…"/em Slowly Celestia turned her head and gasped. There, just a few meters away from her, hung another cocoon. The dark blue Alicorn inside it was clearly seen, her cyan eyes locking with Celestia's./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;""No..."/em No, this couldn't be. If her sister was captured, then what chance would the Elements have?/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;""Calm down, sister. I have bought them enough time to get to the Elements. And..."/em Whatever else Luna was going to say was lost as the doors to the chamber opened and the six mares they were talking around walked in… escorted by a dozen changelings. Celestia heard Chrysalis say something cheeky to Cadance, but it sounded muted to her, as if she was hearing it from several rooms away…/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"The six friends looked up at the two imprisoned Princesses. Applejack sighed and lowered her head. Fluttershy squeaked and fainted, and Rarity looked close to joining her. Rainbow Dash stopped struggling against the guards, dropping to the floor. Pinkie's mane seemed to deflate like a balloon. Twilight froze, her eyes wide and her mouth opened in disbelief./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""No… P-Princess… No, this can't be…" She tried to deny it. "No, we were so close… I even recited that verse you told me…" Chrysalis' dark laughter interrupted the pony./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""How naive… Thinking that you could defeat me and my Swarm." She chuckled and looked at the Changelings that had escorted them here. "Go. Feed." She commanded. The black bugs hissed and chittered as they flew out of the chamber. The doors were enveloped in a sickly green aura and shut closed, cutting off the six mares' only route out. The mares gulped before looking at Chrysalis as she approached them. "It's funny really… Twilight here was suspicious of my behaviour all along…" She gently grasped the unicorn's chin, looking in her eyes. The defeated mare did nothing, just stared blankly back…/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""Too bad the rest of you were too caught up in…" The bug queen's monologue was cut off as the doors to the chamber slammed open and a Changeling rushed in. This one was larger than the rest and a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; color: rgb(80, 126, 44); cursor: pointer;" href=" art/Changeling-General-My-Little-Portal-382224735" rel="nofollow"clad in armor./a/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""My Queen…" The Changeling bowed in front of the scowling Chrysalis./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""General Thorax, I thought I commanded you to assault Canterlot, not to bother me." The Changeling Queen growled. "Whatever it is, it better be important, or you will feel my full displeasure."/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""My Queen, we have a problem. Our army is being slaughtered by…" The general began, only to be interrupted by Chrysalis' hiss./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""You came to me and interrupted me only to tell me that the ponies have mounted a counter-offensive? Send the Swarm after them! Crush them under our numbers!" She shouted and turned around to continue her monologue./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""But my Queen, you do not understand. The creature is not a pony!" Chrysalis once again turned back to the general as the ponies watched in confusion./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""You mean to tell me that a single creature is killing off your finest troops?" She hissed, venom dripping from her voice./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""Y-yes, my Queen…" Thorax replied, shaking under Chrysalis' gaze. "It looks like a Minotaur, but the form is w-wrong. A-and it is fast, using a sword and unknown magic, unlike any Minotaur we ever encountered…"/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"While the Changeling General tried to describe the creature that was causing trouble for his armies, the two Princesses were having another telepathic conversation:/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;""Luna… You… You didn't…"/em Celestia's mental voice conveyed confusion, disbelief and a small trace of hope… It was hard to say if she was hoping that her sister did what she was thinking, or if she was hoping that she didn't…/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;""I did not, Tia…"/em Luna began. em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;""But Twilight did. She spoke the verse. She has awakened him…"/em/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;""So he is back..."/em Celestia didn't know whether to be happy or concerned… On one hand, the one creature that could save them was free and laying waste on the Changeling army. On another… He was a creature of war, of conflict and strife… He was something that had no place in this peaceful world.../p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"Her train of thought halted. Was it peaceful anymore? With so many things happening in less than an year? Starting with her sister's return, which caused mass panic throughout the land with her prolonged night… The arrogant dragon that had blackened the skies with its smoke… Parasprites emerging in populated areas… The Diamond Dogs becoming bold enough to take pony slaves again…The conflicts in the frontier towns, like Appleloosa… Discord's release… And finally the Changeling attack./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"And that was just in Equestria. Her mind drifted to the reports she read over the last few months. Of troubles in the neighboring countries… Of things that hadn't been seen in… In a thousand years…/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"Suddenly the realization hit her. He was back just in time…/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"Everyone in the room looked up at the cocoon as the Solar Diarch burst out into uncontrollable laughter. Only Luna didn't think that she had gone mad./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""What are you laughing about?" Chrysalis shouted angrily. "Do you find slaughter funny? Or have you finally lost your mind?" Celestia needed several seconds to compose herself before she could reply:/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""Oh, no, I assure you, I'm still of sound mind. No, I laugh because you have no chance against what is coming. I would suggest you run, Chrysalis. It would save you from his wrath." The Princess' voice was smug and mocking… Something that shocked everypony in the room, especially Twilight and Cadence, the two ponies who knew her best. Celestia was always kind and motherly, with a hint of mischievousness when she was doing her pranks. This was the first time the two had seen her like this…/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""Is that so…" Chrysalis grit her teeth. "I don't know what you have unleashed, but it will fall under the might of the Swarm! General Thorax!" She shouted at the armored Changeling. "Send every drone, every soldier against that thing! I want its head brought to me!"/p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;"A Changeling flew through the open doors just as she shouted that, its body skidding onto the floor and leaving behind a trail of blood. Chrysalis looked horrified at the mangled corpse that stopped in her feet. A voice drew everyone's attention back to the doors./p  
p class="indented double" style="margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-indent: 3em;""How about you get the whole package, not just my head?"/p  
/div 


	2. A Hero Awakens

**Canterlot Tower, 1000 years ago**

"Please, I beg thee! Reconsider thy decision!" Princess Celestia begged. The white Alicorn was almost at the verge of breaking out in tears.

"No, Tia. I can't." The object of her pleas sighed. He was a biped, as tall as the Princess herself sans her horn. She was told that his species was "human" and that he was probably the only one of his kind on Equis.

"But Blader, we…" One of the human's fingers pressed against her lips, silencing her.

"No, Tia. I can't do this anymore. I need rest. More rest than the thirteen months since the battle…" Both of them felt a pang of pain as he mentioned the event… The Battle of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters… The end of the short war that historians were calling "the Eclipse War"...

The battle where the Princess had to banish her sister to the Moon itself…

"I'm tired, Tia…" Blader continued. "I'm tired of all the fighting… I'm tired of the killing. You had to fight your sister… I had to fight my brothers-in-arms, ponies I lived and joked with, ponies I fought and bled next to… I had to kill my friend… No, Tia. I need the rest." With that the human turned around to face a thick pillar that protruded from the center of the tower's floor. Made of one single light-blue crystal, it wasn't very tall, its stone top standing only a head higher than Blader himself. There was a hollow space inside it, enough for the human to enter.

Climbing in he turned around, facing the Solar Princess. His vibrant blue eyes met her magenta ones, both filled with sorrow. For him, this would be just like a refreshing, albeit dreamless sleep… For her, it would be untold years until she saw him again...

"Do you remember the words to release the spell?" He asked as he adjusted himself inside what would be his resting place for the unforeseeable future. A nod was Celestia's only reply. "Good. I might be sued for copyright infringement, but I'll say it anyway…" Blader tried to lighten the mood with a joke, prompting a sad smile from Celestia.

"Wake me… when you need me." Celestia swallowed hard and nodded.

"I will…" She whispered, her horn lighting up with a light gold aura. The crystal around the human shone with the same aura before he felt it seal in front of him, growing from the bottom up.

As the crystal grew around Blader Celestia let out a small hic and closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears. Turning around she tried to pretend that this wasn't happening, that the only friend she had left wasn't going to disappear for Faust knew how long… But she couldn't. Her knees shook before she collapsed on the floor, her majestic wings spreading carelessly over the cold stone. Sobs shook her body as her tears began to flow freely...

The last thing that Blader saw before the crystal engulfed him completely was his friend looking over her shoulder at him. No words needed to be said… Nothing any of them could say would make this easier...

And then there was nothing, as the sleep spell took over…

Celestia watched as the pillar sank into the floor, her eyes following the black-clad figure that was clearly visible through the blue crystal. Then it sank all the way in, the stone top covering the hole perfectly. For hours she just lied there, bawling her eyes out next to the silver and black sigil. Finally the time for her to lower the sun and raise the moon came. Even if she wanted to just leave everything behind she had her responsibilities… And she promised Blader that she would protect her little ponies… That she would make Equestria a land of peace, just as he wanted…

Wiping away the tears with her hoof she looked at the symbol in the floor. It had become well-known throughout Equestria and the surrounding nations in the past few years… She couldn't leave it like that. With a flash of her horn the sigil faded out, replaced by the same stones that made the rest of the floor.

With her task finished Celestia turned around and walked out into the city. Spreading her wings she took off in the air, gliding towards the half-finished castle that would become the new capital of Equestria…

* * *

**Canterlot Tower, present day**

The pillar slowly rose from the floor, revealing its slumbering prisoner. For a few seconds everything was silent, as if the world was waiting with bated breath… Then, a crack appeared in the crystal pillar, right above the man's heart. It was small at first, but soon it grew, encompassing the entire front of the crystal.

And then it shattered with a sound that echoed throughout the tower...

The man collapsed on the floor like a puppet with its strings cut off. A groan of pain escaped his lips at the contact. His eyes fluttered open before he lifted his head from the cold stone and looked around blearily.

What was happening? He was awakened, so he was needed… But… Where was everyone? Where was Celestia? She was the one who woke him up… Right? With another groan he stood up. While the sleeping spell was cancelled, he was still feeling drowsy… Thankfully, he had something to help with that.

Reaching inside his coat he pulled out an angular flask full of red liquid. Popping the stopper off with his thumb he walked over to the window to take a look outside… and he immediately froze.

The flask almost slipped through his fingers as he saw the destruction that the Changelings had brought upon the city. The window was giving him a good view of the battered buildings, the swarm in the sky, and a thick column of smoke that rose in the distance…

"Well, that explains why nobody's greeting me…" Blader muttered to himself before taking a swig from the flask. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he felt the restorative effect of the Zebrican potion coursing through his body, lifting the slight fog from his mind and invigorating him. Putting the stopper back in he placed the flask inside his coat. The potion had saved his life countless of times before… It would be bad if he lost one of the few flasks of it he had on himself.

WIth one of the most valuable items of his arsenal safe the warrior could now go outside. But first, he had to see if the spell worked right… Walking back to the crystal pillar he used it as a mirror to take a look at himself…

A pair of vibrant blue eyes stared back at him from a young-looking face. Light brown bangs covered his forehead, hanging slightly below his eyebrows. The rest of his hair was cut lower, covering his ears and sticking nearly everywhere. Glancing down he looked over his clothes. A black shirt with turquoise trim covered his torso, an extravagant black leather longcoat on top of it. He ran his gloved hand over the metal chain that wrapped around his bicep before sliding his fingers down the emerald trim and to the cuffs.

Dropping his hands down he looked at his lower body. The front of the coat parted just above his waist, allowing his legs full-range of motion. The leather pants he wore had the same emerald green trim as the coat itself. His boots were the same, completing the ensemble.

Satisfied that his clothing was in full order he looked at his weapons. On the back of his gloves were sewn two identical contraptions. A dark metal casing, holding a faded dark-purple crystal in place. It was these two things that made him so dangerous… That allowed him to use all his abilities…

And yet it was the final item he inspected that made him famous a thousand years ago. With the hiss of steel he drew his signature weapon and the source of his name from the sheath on his side. With a blade around ninety centimeters, or nearly three feet long, it was a masterpiece. Its crescent-shaped cross-guard ended with hooks on both sides. A jewel not unlike the Orb on the back of his hands was embed above the hilt. A closer inspections showed that the sword had taken the passage of time just like its wielder and everything else on him.

With a nod of satisfaction Blader sheathed his sword back. Turning his back on the crystal coffin that was his resting place he strode to the doors and pushed them open, allowing the light of the sun to silhouette him. Taking another look at the invaded city he began his trek to the Castle...


	3. Every Journey starts with a single step

**Canterlot streets**

A patrol of eight Changelings was searching the city streets, sweeping for any ponies that dared to try and hide from the conquerors. Normally the squad would be half the size, but reports were coming of missing patrols. While that was expected, the fact that there were no survivors was a concern… The group of Changelings had heard the rumors. A patrol would head somewhere and then it wouldn't return… The ones sent after them either suffered the same fate or came back with reports of a massacre…

At least this particular group of Changelings hadn't stumbled upon anything like that. As a matter of fact, they hadn't seen a living soul for a while. Though that was to be expected, since these were the streets near the castle and they were hit hard.

The entire group stopped dead in their tracks as they rounded a corner. Parts of Changeling bodies littered the street in front of them, the cobblestone painted green with their blood. Bits of chitin were sticking on the walls of the houses on the two sides of the street. As the group watched horrified a sticky piece of unidentifiable green meat fell from an eaves, landing on the sidewalk with a splat. Whatever had gone through their fellow soldiers had done so mercilessly...

"Stay close together." The squad's leader hissed. "The ponies that did this might be preparing an ambush for us…" The bugs moved closer together as they walked towards the carnage. Against ponies, the tactic would've made them a well-defended group.

Against their ambusher, it only made killing them easier…

A small motion of a figure that was hiding in a side alley caused tendrils of mystic energy burst from the ground, coiling around the bugs' legs and rooting them in spot. A black blur shot out, too fast for the normal eye to follow. A reinforced boot collided with the centermost bug, sending it flying into a wall with a crunch, nearly splattering it on impact. The group of Changelings had just a few moments to look at the figure that appeared in their midst before he stabbed his sword in a magic circle that appeared underneath their hooves. The delicate construction was destabilized in an explosion of power that caused pieces of the bugs to fly everywhere.

Pulling his sword out from where he had stabbed at the ground Blader took a look around. This was the fifth group of bugs that he had disposed of in this manner. It was strange that he wasn't noticed yet, with the Force Impact being quite flashy… Then again, there were enough distractions for the invading army in the city, so he was able to make progress without much hindrance…

* * *

**Earlier...**

The familiar scent of smoke greeted Blader as he walked out. He inhaled it deeply, greeting the smell of destruction as an old friend… And it was, in a way… He had become accustomed to it in the several wars he fought in… It was one of the reasons why he went to sleep.

And yet, he was awakened in the middle of one… Why? Why did Celestia wake him up when the army was already in the capital, and not when the war started? Unless… Unless this was the beginning of the war…

"What happened, Tia?" He whispered the question to himself. There were so many questions he needed answered… What happened during all those years he slept through? Where were Celestia and the Royal Guard? What happened to the Cabal? Who was the enemy? He needed answers, and he needed them as soon as possible…

It was as if some higher power heard him. Just as he rounded a corner he got face-to-face with a group of what he thought were black ponies. Then he noticed the chitin, the strange eyes, the holes, the jagged horns and the insectoid wings… In other words, all the facts that pointed out they weren't ponies.

The surprise lasted for a few seconds before Blader dived to the side. Several bright green beams of magic passed through the air where his body was mere moments ago.

Coming out of the dive Blader let his instincts take over. Directing the magic to the device on the back of his left hand he raised it in the air, fingers balled in a fist. The air above it ignited, flames gathering in a ball of fire. With a sharp punch-like motion Blader shot the fire towards the group of bugs.

The magical projectile shot through the air, impacting the center of the group. It exploded in a ball of fire that consumed nearly all of the bugs. The three that survived were flung away from the explosion, their chitin crunching as they hit the side wall of a nearby house. Only two of them survived the ordeal, standing up on wobbly legs.

Blader didn't give them time to recover. The familiar sound of a blade being unsheathed was heard. Flexing his fingers he felt the magic intensifying devices on the back of his hands respond. Power flooded his body, strengthening his muscles and concentrating in his legs. Then he kicked off in a dash. His muscles propelled him at such speeds that from an outsider point of view he looked like he teleported to the Changeling. The point of his sword led the assault, skewering the bug like a Lepidopterist would pin a butterfly for study.

The other Changeling managed to widen its eyes in surprise before an arrow of Air went between them. With the last bug dead Blader pulled his sword from the corpse and flicked it to the side, shaking its green blood off.

* * *

Seeing the invaders was the first of the two surprises that Blader got before he reached this point… Who would've thought that the attackers would be bugs? He always thought that the ones to reach Equestria's capitals would be the Griffin Empire or some other militaristic nation… Then again, he didn't know anything about the Changelings apart from the fact that they were insects, they could use magic and that they were easier to kill than the eagle/lion hybrids he was used to…

And speaking of the Griffins…

* * *

Gunter was a proud and strong griffin. Even though he was now a merchant, he still kept himself in top shape with the exercises he remembered from his time in the military. The Griffin Empire was a militaristic country, with a mandatory military service for an year for any able-bodied griffin. It helped them immensely when they had to mobilize for a war, something that happened quite often.

The Changelings' attack caught him by surprise, just like it did with the entire city. But he put up a better fight than the denizens, as evidenced by the bloody corpses surrounding him…

With an eagle-like screech Gunter tore the last Changeling apart. Dropping the remains on the ground the griffin slumped down in exhaustion.

It was clear that he wouldn't make it out of this alive… His body was a tapestry of gashes and magic burns, his right wing was torn off and the broken end of a black horn protruding from his side. The cobblestones under him were stained red with his blood, and more of it was pouring from his wound every second. But Gunter was ready for his death. He had defeated his enemy and he was going to die a worthy death…

A shadow fell over the griffin. Looking up he blinked several times, his brain trying to comprehend what he was seeing.

"So the stories are true…" He croaked. "Die a worthy death, fighting against your foes, and the Force Blader himself will take you to the Afterlife…"

Blader watched as the dying griffin chuckled. Was this how they viewed him now? A god of death? The Grim Reaper? A valkyrie of sorts?

It was so… Humbling...

"It is time for you to rest, warrior. You have earned it." Blader said, drawing his sword from its sheath. Gunter smiled and closed his eyes. His face had an expression of peace and serenity when the sword cleaved through his neck, ending his life.

Blader stared at the severed head for a few seconds. He had killed many griffin warriors since arriving in the land of Equestria, but this was the first one that moved him…

"Rest in peace, warrior." He whispered before walking away, continuing his trek towards the castle…

* * *

That had been the second surprise. Not only were there any griffins in the city, but they had placed him in their culture… Who knew that he would have such an impact on them? All he did was to devastate their armies and… Oh… Yeah… Though he didn't do it alone. He had help from his friends, from the ponies and other assorted beings that he trained himself, from the Equestrian army… And he used some more… exotic help when he had to face them alone. But it seems that he was the one to become legend here…

The sound of buzzing drew Blader's attention. Glancing at its source he saw a Changeling drone flying off a nearby rooftop. There was no mistaking that the bug had seen him standing among the remains of its comrades… Cursing silently to himself Blader raised his fist. Power flowed through his body, channeling into the jewel on the back of his hand. The air above his hand swirled before solidifying, creating a hard projectile that he sent forward at his target with a punch.

The Wind Arrow shot towards the Changeling almost faster than the eye could follow. However, luck seemed to be on the bug's side as it dived to the side, the projectile missing it completely. Blader growled out a curse under his breath as his enemy flew out of reach.

There was no doubt that the bug would inform its superiors on what it had seen… Oh well. At least now Blader would be able to move more freely. He did like the shortcuts that he learned of during the construction of the city, but it always felt better to just walk in the middle of the boulevard…

Shaking his head Blader channeled the magic through his body into his legs, dashing through the streets in short bursts of speed. It was such a useful skill, perfect for moving over both long and short distances. It was a skill he found useful not only for getting around, but getting out of bad situations fast. He still remembered the time he jokingly called Tia a "fattie"... Only it, Wind Movement and a lot of blind luck managed to save him from an unpleasant fate that day…

Blader couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of that day. It had ended with him sleeping in an inn outside the Castle for a week before he dared return… Luna couldn't stop laughing every time she saw the two of them in the same room for a few days after that.

Ah, those were the fun times… The times before something happened to Luna… The smile faded from Blader's face as he dashed forward. The events still brought a pang of pain to his chest every time he thought of them. They still had no idea what caused her to change into Nightmare Moon when he couldn't take it anymore and went to sleep.

Moving up towards the castle he briefly wondered if Celestia had found out what happened during all these years. Or even if she had managed to return Luna back to normal… Oh well, he guessed that he would see soon enough. After all, he was nearing the castle's courtyard and… Wait, was that… buzzing?

Frowning Blader slowed down to a normal walk as he approached the wall that surrounded the castle. A quick look over the wall showed that the courtyard itself was full of bugs, and an armored one was running inside through the main entrance… Blader would bet all the money he used to have that it was just told about him and now was running to report to its superiors...

Looking over the courtyard again the human thought of what he could do now. Option A was to charge in, slaughtering every bug on his way inside the castle. That was a simple plan, but he was wary to do it… He knew nothing of the changelings' strength in combat, having slaughtered them in ambushes on his way here, so if they proved stronger than he thought then the bugs would probably take him down… Even if they were as weak as he saw they could still swarm and overwhelm him with numbers.

The option was dismissed… It was just too risky.

He would have to make his way around the small army, but how? A distraction to lure them away? He doubted that every bug would leave even if he could create such a distraction… Sneak past them? He didn't see any way for that to work, he had helped design the courtyard so that nobody would be able to sneak past the guards and…

And he was an idiot.

Blader had helped design a good portion of the castle and its surroundings, and he had included a few things that he and his friends could use. Places to rest undisturbed, safehouses in case things like that are needed…

Secret tunnels…

Yes, what castle would it be if it didn't have any secret tunnels? Now all he needed was to find one that was still functional.

It seemed that someone or something out there was looking out for him, because he found one in less than two minutes. The entrance was in the thick courtyard wall, marked with three vertical lines crossed with a horizontal one in the middle. It was something that one would miss unless they were specifically looking for it. After all, it looked like a random pattern in the stones…

Oh if the few ponies that saw it knew the truth… That it was a letter from an alphabet that existed in another dimension, but had no counterpart here...

It took Blader a few tries, but he finally remembered the combination of stones he had to press to open it. The stones silently rearranged themselves, revealing a narrow staircase that would have given any claustrophobe nightmares until the end of their lives. It was barely wide enough for a pony…

A few torches laid on the top landing. Taking one Blader used a simple unshaped Fire spell to light it up before starting the cautious trek down the stairs as the entrance closed behind him. The secret passage was almost too small for him, but it was designed that way. At the time their main enemies were griffins and diamond dogs, and both races were too bulky to fit through the tight space...

Navigating the tight maze wasn't hard for the one who designed it, especially if he could read the clues. Oh how it paid off to be able to read and write languages that didn't exist on this world…

Several minutes later he emerged on the same floor the Throne Room was on. The wall that opened to let him through was marked with a similar symbol as the entrance. It was just two lines this time, making a 90° angle. Extinguishing the torch in a vase that sat on a nearby table he dropped it on the landing and walked off, the magic that animated the wall closing it behind him.

A single changeling stood in front of the Throne Room's opened doors, looking inside and listening to the shouts coming from there.

"General Thorax!" Blader heard as he approached the bug from behind, the voice hiding his footsteps. "Send every drone, every soldier against that thing!" The human knew a great opportunity when he saw one. Channeling the magic of his body to his feet he surged forward in a Force Kick, impacting the bug guard with enough force to kill it instantly and send its broken body through the open doors just as the enemy leader was shouting for his head.

"How about you get the whole package, not just my head?" Blader said as he strode in, drawing everyone's attention to him...

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Some of you may wonder what are the symbols used to mark the secret passages in this chapter. They're letters from the Cyrillic alphabet, Ж and Г, or the sounds Zh and G respectively. My reasoning is that the alphabet and languages associated with it don't exist in that universe, and so nobody would pay any mind to what looks like random lines in the stone.

* * *

Cabal Online Skills used in this chapter:

Field of Execration: Bind multiple enemies on their spots. - A perfect holding tool for several enemies.

Force Kick: Quickly approach a target and inflict great damage. - In this fic this is a variation of the Dash skill.

Force Impact: Destabilize the force surrounding you, and cause critical explosions. - The concept will be explained in a later chapter.

Fire Cannon: A superior magic spell that uses the force of the flame. - A highly volatile explosive spell.

Force Assault: Stab a target while dashing. - Same as with Force Kick, only with a stab.

Wind Arrow: An arrow of wind. - What it says on the tin. An arrow formed of air, or wind.

Dash: Increase one's movement speed for a short period of time. - What it says on the tin. Can be combined with a kick or a stab to turn it into Force Kick or Force Assault.

Wind Movement: Increase the attack rate and the defense rate with the power of the wind. In other words, it makes movement faster.


End file.
